NHS manager regulations

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) (2024) has launched a 12-week public consultation, which began on 26 November 2024, to explore proposals aimed at enhancing accountability and professionalism among NHS managers in England, while bolstering whistleblower protections. This consultation seeks to address gaps in the current regulatory landscape and to ensure that NHS leadership fosters a culture of transparency, patient safety and trust.

This move has been a long time coming. The proposal for a regulatory framework for NHS managers has been prompted by long-standing concerns over leadership accountability, patient safety and whistleblower protection. The proposals present both potential benefits and challenges.

Key proposals under review include the introduction of a voluntary accreditation register, statutory barring mechanisms and full statutory registration for NHS managers, with the aim of holding managers accountable for their actions.

The proposed regulatory framework is intended to apply, at a minimum, to board-level directors within NHS organisations, directors in arm's length bodies and members of integrated care boards. This targeted approach aims to strengthen governance and to ensure high standards of leadership at critical levels of decision-making. However, the consultation also invites views on whether the framework should be extended to other managerial roles within the NHS to promote more comprehensive accountability.